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P. BROTHERHOOD.

APPARATUS FOR LAUNGHING TORPEDOES.

No. 261,805. Patented July 25, 1882* m zmses. 1741/6722071 Qk ,Z'roZZerZooJ,

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(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' P, BROTHERHOOD.

' APPARATUS FOR LAUNGHING VTORPEDOES. No. 261,805. Patented July 25,1882.

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I r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER BROTHERHOOD, OF LAMBETH, COUNTY OF SURREY, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING TORPEDOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 261,805, dated July 25, 1882.

Application filed May 10, 1882. (No model.) Patented in England September 21,1880, No. 3,826; in France October 2, 1880, No. 138,958; in Austria October 2, 1880, No. 35,279; in Germany October 5, 1880, No. 13,382; in Belgium October 7, 1830, No. 52,733,

and in Italy Octoherll, 1880, No.12,359.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PETER Baornnuuoon, a citizen of England, residing at Belvidere Road, Lambeth, in the county of Surrey,England, have invented a new or Improved Apparatus for Launching Torpedoes, (for which I have obtained patents in Great Britain, dated 21st September, 1880, N 0.3,826; France, dated 2d October, 1880, No. 138,958; Belgium, dated 7th October, 1880, No. 52,733 Austria, dated 2d October, 1880, N 0. 35,279 Germany, dated th October, 1880, No. 13,382; and Italy, dated 17th October, 1880, No. 12,359,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus forlaunching torpedoes,more particularly those known as fish-torpedoes, and has mainly for its object to facilitate the placing of the torpedo on the launchlng apparatus, and to effect the launching with rapid propulsion of the torpedo through a ships port, thus avoiding exposure of the torpedo outside the vessel until the moment of launching.

I will describe the apparatus which I employ for this purpose, referring to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1. is a side view. Fig. 2 is an end view, and Fig. 3 is a plan. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 show to an enlarged scale certain details of the apparatus-that is to say, Fig. 4: is a view from the inside, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section on Z Z, Fig. 4 showing part of the upper frame with the detent or catch device for the middle wings of the torpedo, and Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the end of the upper frame with its catch for the tail of the torpedo-frame.

B is alower frame or carriage, which is pivoted at b and supported on a pair of front wheels or rollers, b, and a pair of hinder wheels or rollers, b, these running respectively on clrcular ways, so that the carriage can be trained like a gun to various angles of direction. In the carriage B there are fixed a number of receivers O in the form .of strong tubes, commuuicatin g with each other by pipes. These are charged with highly-com pressed air, which is employed for effecting the propulsion ofsuccessive torpedoes in the following manner:

In the carriage B is fixed a cylinder, D, fitted with a telescopic piston,the rod of which is attached at d to a bracketprojeoting down from E, the lower of two sliding frames. This frame E hasdovetail guides e e, fitting the upper-flanges of the lower frame or carriage, B, and it has two projecting ears, 0 e, embracing rods e 6 which are fixed to cars projecting from the carriage B. At the front ends of the rods 0 c are helical butter-springs 6 c On the upperface of thelowerslidingi'rame,

has an inclined tail,f for its release, as will hereinafter be explained.

At the hinder end of the upper sliding frame, F, which terminates in a cage, F, inclosing the end of the torpedo, there is fixed a book,

a, engaged by a spring-bolt, g, which is fitted to slide vertically in a bracket projecting up from the hinder end of the carriage B. The

spring-bolt g is connected by a lever, g, and rod g to the handle g of a three-way cock, G, which in one position, when the handle g is pushed down, opens communication from the receivers O to the cylinder D, and in another position, when the handle 9 is raised, opens communication from the cylinder D to a discharge-outlet. The connection of the rod g to the handle gr is made by a pin working in a slotted hole of 9 so that it is only during the last portion of the downstroke ot' the haudle 9 that the spring-bolt g is raised to disengage the hook a.

The apparatus operates as follows: The cock G being open for discharge, the frames E and F are drawn back, the hook at being engaged by the bolt 9, and a torpedo, A, is placed upon the upper frame, F, its wingsa resting on the flangesf, where they are held by the springeatehesf The carriage B is trained about its pivot 11 so as to direct the torpedo in the required line offlight. Whenitisto belaunched the handle 9 is pushed down, moving the cock G so as to close the discharge and to admit compressed air from the receivers G to the cylinders D, and as the handle 9 completes its downstroke it raises the bolt g, releasing the book a. The air-pressure, actingonthepiston in 1), pushes itrapidly forward, propelling at the same time the lower sliding frame, E, the upper sliding frame, F, and the torpedo A. When the ears 6 of the lower sliding-frame, E, strike the buffer-springs 0 which arrest the movementofE, the npperframe,F,and the torpedo A are still carried forward by the momentum that had been imparted to them. As the frameF approaches stops 0 at the front end of the frame E theinclined tailsf" of the springcatchesf, meeting tappets 0 fixed on E, are pushed upward, so that the catches f are withdrawn from the wings a of the torpedo, which, being thus released from F, in virtue of its momentum continues its flight.

Having described the nature of my invention and the best means I know of oarryingit out in practice, I claim- 1. In an apparatus for launching torpedoes, the combination of a carriage to rest onthe deck of a vessel, a lower frame arranged to move longitudinallyon the carriage, mechanism, substantially as described, for moving said frame, an upper frame arrranged to move longitudinally on the said lower frame, and means for securing a torpedo to said upper frame and automatically releasing it at the proper moment, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus l'orlannching torpedoes,

3. In an apparatus for launching torpedoes,

the combination of the carriage B, pivoted to the deck of a vessel,an air-receiver, G, and cylinder D, carried by said carriage, a piston within the cylinder, a frame, E, arranged to slide on the carriage and connected with the rod of the piston, and a frame, F, arranged to slide on the other slidingframe, and provided with devices for holding and automatically releasing a torpedo, substantially as described.

4. In an apparatus forlaunching torpedoes, the combination of a carriage, B,pivoted to the deck and having wheels arranged to travel on curved ways, a com pressed-air receiver, 0, and cylinder D, attached to the carriage, a piston fitted to the cylinder,alower sliding frame, E, connected with the piston-rod, an upper sliding frame, F, arranged to slide on said lower sliding frame, and provided with fiangesf and hooks-f to retain the wings on a torpedo, a. hook, a, bolt g, lever 9, rod 9"", handleg and air-cock Gr, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two sub scribing witnesses, this 28th day of April, A. D. 1882.

PETER BROTHEREIOOD.

Witnesses:

'JNo. P. M. MILLARD, OLIVER IMRAY.

H Mai 

